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Name : PlotList Button Enhancement
Version : v0.95 beta
Date : 21.12.05
Author : 12monkeys (@civfanatics)
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This mod improves the unit information which is shown in the plot list.

Features :

1.) Additional Spot Info
injured units will get a darker spot in the upper left corner, following this table :
standard civ4 colors and their meaning :
- green : unit can move
- yellow : unit has moved, but some movements points are left.
- white : unit is fortified
- red : unit can't move

additional colors by this mod :
- darkgreen : unit can move but is injured
- orange : unit has moved, but some movements points are left, and is injured
- gray : unit is fortified and is injured
- darkred : unit can't move and is injured


2.) Display of unit missions
some special units missions are displayed below the unit icon :
- PAT : indicates that the unit is on ar-patrol/intercept mission
- SEN : unit has a sentry mission
- HEAL : unit is fortified and will wake up after its fully healed
- EXP : unit has an exploration mission
- AUT-B : unit is automized for general purpose (worker unit only)
- AUT-C : unit is automized for the nearest city (worker unit only)
- AUT-N : unit is automized to build network (worker unit only)
- GOTO : unit has a move-to command.
- FORT : unit is fortied
These icons should make it easier to check what units in a stack are available and what their current task is.


3.) Health bar
Besides the colored spot a health-bar is placed. It indicates the hitpoints a unit has.


4.) Promotion indicator
if a unit is able to be promoted, its icon is underlayed with a light-blue frame- Should ease up the identification of units to be promoted in a selection group.


5.) dynamic plot bar size
In the stadnard game, the number of plot list buttons has been set to 10, which is the maximum for a x-resolution of 1024. The mod now calculated the maximum number of plo list buttons for each resolution and displays them.


6.) single unit plot list button
usually, there is no unit icon disaplyed when you select a single unit. This has been changed now.


Installation :
copy the files from the ZIP into their corresponding folders in the "Own Files\My Games\Civilization 4" folder. Installation at own risk!. If you already had installed the previous version, you may want to delete the dds files of the old version first. Some of them are obsolete, but there is no problem when you keep them (just a waste of some bytes on your harddisk).


Issues :
1.) Well, I'm not an artist in means of graphics. So if there is anybody making better looking buttons, he should do it and give me a feedback.
2.) There may be special unit states which are not catched, so that a wrong information is disaplyed.


Ideas for future realeases :
1.) indicate the number of possible promotions for an unit. Currently I don't know how to calculate it. Maybe someone can give me a hint?
2.) indicate the number of rounds till the unit is fully healed, related to the current circumstances. Same : I have no clue how I can calculate that.
3.) indicate if a unit can be upgraded. Just the possiblility if an upgrade is of interrest he



release notes :

v0.95 beta:
- added healthbar
- changed spot color
- added mission icons
- implemented dynamic plot bar size
- added promotion indicator
- lots of comments added
- single units will get their plot list button as well

v0.9 beta:
- initial release

There are some screenshots :

1.) dynamic plot lost size for 1024 x resolution.
2.) dynamic plot lost size for 1600 x resolution.
3.) mission icons sample 1, displaying some mission icons, the health bar and the promotion frame.
4.) mission icons sample 2, displaying some other mision icons.
5.) mission icons sample 3, disaplying that a single unit has a unit icon now.
6.) the changed spot colors and their meaning.

now number 6.

Ideas for future realeases :
1.) indicate the number of possible promotions for an unit. Currently I don't know how to calculate it. Maybe someone can give me a hint?
Can you not check the unit's current experience, then check it's level - and work it out from there? A unit only gains a level when you promote it, rather then when it gets the experience for a promotion.

Alternatively you might be able to do it in a similar way to the way the promotion "glow" is done (actually, this probs won't count the promotions... oh well).